A recent analysis of the state of the country found that sexism just doesn't exist anymore.
"How is this possible?? We haven't even had a female president yet!," you texted your mom upon learning the news. True, but the 2016 election cycle has been completely woman-friendly, and the woman candidate hasn't at all been scrutinized in gender-specific ways. It's not like she's been criticized for not smiling, or about her hair, or anything like that! Definitely not.
In fact, many say this recent surge in gender equality really has trickled down from the government. “Ever since Tina Fey was elected to congress, there’s been a total shift,” said Katie, a 23-year-old PR account manager. “My boss just gave me a 22 percent raise!” she added.
Women across the board are thanking elected officials for keeping our rights in mind at all times. “I totally have free reign to make choices about my own body,” said Kaitlyn, a 28-year-old slam poet. “I hear they’re gonna start giving out free birth control at Starbucks along with your grande soy latte!"
beyonce vma
When Beyonce introduced this concept called "Feminism" at the 2014 VMAs, people were like, "ohhhh!"
The analysis found that women at large feel completely respected everywhere they turn. “I walk around outside at night like I own the damn sidewalk!” said Jenny, a recent Manhattan transfer from Kansas. “A man tapped me on the shoulder in Chelsea the other night,” she recalls. “When I turned around, he told me that I had dropped my selfie stick a block back. He kindly returned it to me even helped me zip my bag!”
Jenny’s friend Kayla was quick to chime in with a similar anecdote. “A guy offered to buy me a drink the other night,” she said, adding, “when I told him I wasn’t interested, he told me he respected my decision and returned to his table.”
Men everywhere are really doing their part. “I found the woman who invented my favorite video game on Twitter,” said Brad, a 27-year-old artist who plans to move out of his grandma's basement next month. “I tweeted at her to tell her how smart she is,” he added.
In a tweet responding to the news, Gloria Steinem wrote:
gloria steinem tweet
LOL, happy April Fools' day.
Social Media
If there's one thing Twitter has shown us this year, it's that there's power in numbers. Over and over again, women came together online to join virtual hands in solidarity, whether it was #BeenRapedNeverReported following the Jian Ghomeshi scandal, #YesAllWomen following horrifying shootings in California, or #takedownjulienblanc to prevent "pick-up artist" Julien Blanc from speaking in countries across the globe. And though many of these issues had a decided focus on women, it was heartening to see men also join in on the conversation.
Malala Yousafzai's Nobel Peace Prize
Not only is Malala Yousafzai the youngest person to ever win a Nobel Peace Prize (which she shared with fellow children's rights advocate Kailash Satyarthi), the 17 year old is fighting specifically for the opportunity for girls to get an equal education to boys.
A Feminist In Power
Kathleen Wynne was elected premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, in a majority win in June, but to us, her best moment came only weeks ago in a speech at the Women of Influence conference. Among her many unapologetically feminist remarks was this:
"By making the assumption that women had no influence over the founding of this country, we are taught that the influence of women only grows as we assume the rights and privileges that were once the exclusive domain of men. As women take on the roles, titles and powers that belonged to men alone, the influence of women continues to grow until, one day, we will be equal." Read the speech in full here.
Girls Playing With Boys
Mo'ne Davis became the first female pitcher in Little League World Series history to pitch a complete-game shutout — and in Canada, Team Canada goalie Shannon Szabados signed on for a full year with men's team Columbus Cottonmouths, and bobsledder (and athlete of the year) Kaillie Humphries will be one of the first women competing alongside men on the World Cup circuit this season.
Rinelle Harper, a 16-year-old Aboriginal woman who was assaulted and narrowly managed to escape with her life, made a speech to the Assembly of First Nations last week. Her ordeal has called renewed attention the hundreds of missing and murdered aboriginal women in the country, and her bravery in being publicly identified helped arrest the men who allegedly attacked her.
Egg Freezing Goes Mainstream (Ish)
For women who want the option of putting off having kids (or are still unsure about having them at all), more and more companies (most famously this year, Apple and Facebook) are offering egg freezing as part of their benefits packages. While some felt this could add pressure to work even harder at your job, we say choices are a good thing.
Beyonce, arguably the sexiest woman in the world, stood like a statue in front of the word "feminist," during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards in August. If that doesn't tell you labelling yourself a feminist is something to be proud of, perhaps Aziz Ansari's quote on the topic might help. "You're a feminist if you go to a Jay-Z and Beyoncé concert and you're not like, 'I feel like Beyoncé should get 23 percent less money than Jay-Z,. Also, I don't think Beyoncé should have the right to vote and why is Beyoncé singing and dancing? Shouldn't she make Jay a steak?'"
Mutual Respect For All Moms
Mom guilt didn't go away in 2014 (and let's be honest, probably never will), but one blog post on our site by a doctor and mother from Australia completely blew up in the best way possible. In it, Dr. Carolyn Ee perfectly explains both sides of the stay at home/working mom quandary — and reminds mothers they're all really in the same boat.
Female Superheroes
With the change from a male to a female Thor this year, Marvel Comics demonstrated its serious commitment to getting all those lady dollars — and we couldn't imagine investing our money in a better place than stories that show strong, tough women who can act as role models for young girls.
Laverne Cox On Time
As the first transgendered person on the cover of Time, Laverne Cox became the face of a new way to define gender. "This is for my trans siblings out there and for anyone who has ever been told that who you know yourself to be at your core is not legitimate," she wrote on Facebook.
Men Making Their Families A Priority
Dads have always played a massive role in family life, of course, but this year, it was at the forefront. The combination of a couple of high-profile stories of fathers leaving their jobs to spend time with the kids, like Mohamed El-Erian and Max Schireson, and commercials (like this Cheerios one) that worked to change the perception of dads, showed a marked change in assumed stereotypes.
Laughing In The Face Of Oppression
When Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arinc made statements to the effect of, "[A woman] should not laugh loudly in front of all the world and should preserve her decency at all times," Turkish women responded by posting pictures of themselves with wide grins, looking both decent AND gorgeous, under the hashtag #direnkahkaha.
Former NBA guard Darius Morris has died at the age of 33. He played for five teams during his four NBA seasons. Morris played college basketball at Michigan.
Affluent Americans may want to double-check how much of their bank deposits are protected by government-backed insurance. The rules governing trust accounts just changed.
After 56 pro fights and losses in three of his last four, the UFC veteran knows what fans think about the state of his career – but he also knows they've been wrong before.
![When Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arinc made statements to the effect of, "[A woman] should not laugh loudly in front of all the world and should preserve her decency at all times," Turkish women <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/07/31/direnkahkaha-resist-laughter_n_5637699.html" target="_blank">responded by posting pictures of themselves with wide grins</a>, looking both decent AND gorgeous, under the hashtag #direnkahkaha.](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/EF7brciLGJKhZFg3TzpmsQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/559ec321140000e3049a7572.jpg)
